Duel, an unforgettable tale about a driver menaced by a semi truck, was the source for Stephen Spielberg's acclaimed first film of the same name. Throttle, by Stephen King and Joe Hill, is a duel of a different kind, pitting a faceless trucker against a tribe of motorcycle outlaws, in the simmering Nevada desert. Their battle is fought out on 20 miles of the most lonely road in the country, a place where the only thing worse than not knowing what you're up against is slowing down.
©2009 Joe Hill, Stephen King, and Richard Matheson; (P)2009 HarperCollins Publishers
"Nice work"
Both stories are great. The collaboration between father and son was enjoyable and I liked their twist on the original story. This is worth a listen. I enjoyed the narrator in Heart Shaped Box and these stories.
"Fun Story"
The Matheson story is great! and it is read very well. The King story is OK, but works very well with the Matheson story.
The first novel I ever read for fun was The Dark Tower by Stephen King. I picked it up at the laundrymat and never put it down.
"Not the best from either author, but not the worst"
I do not feel sorry for purchasing this book and listening to it, but I probably won't remember listening to it 3 years from now. Two forgettable stories by some great authors. Still, it was a good way to waste a couple of afternoons.
Performance was very good. Narrator got the tone of both stories just right.
"Duel" is the rare case where the movie was actually better than the book. But don't hold it against Matheson: it's hard to compete with young Steven Speilberg.
"king over-rated"
I encourage all to find Matheson and read/listen to his stuff. Duel, included in this is excellent, as are many of his classic stories and novels. So many films and Twilight Zones etc from his stories. King on the other hand, again rips off source material. This is from a celebratory volume of "re-imaginings" of Matheson's work, and so, ok... but King once again misses the subtlety of tension and suspense. The King formula once again on display here: Find good source material, Ratchet up the blood and gore and mayhem and mindless destruction for the ADD MTV generation: and Collect Paycheck. The list of King rip offs continues to grow. And why it took King and his son to write this piece of drek is beyond me. Paycheck for son also I guess.